Friday, August 28, 2015

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Leader, gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his words:

"First, I want to congratulate my friend Jean Fuller. The California Senate will be well-served under her leadership and California's future will absolutely be brighter as a result. I know Senator Fuller

will bring the blue collar attitude that is ingrained in the Central Valley to this leadership position and will fight for a freer and more prosperous California. With Senator Fuller leading Republicans in the Senate and Kristin Olsen leading in the Assembly, Californians are fortunate to have two leaders that will fight for our Republican vision of prosperity, freedom and economic growth - solutions that stand in sharp contrast to the same failed big government ideas currently bogging down Sacramento.
"This week, the Kings, Tulare, and Kern Counties’ 3rd California Coccidioidomycosis Collaborative meeting took place at the Tulare Department of Public Health. Of particular importance at that meeting was the presentation of additional details of the Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) protocol from the National Institutes of Health. The RCT to be conducted by the NIH was one of the major announcements from the Valley Fever Symposium held in our community a few years ago.
"As we know all too well, everyone in our community knows someone who has battled Valley Fever. The path forward to treat Valley Fever – on the other hand – has been less clear. Two years ago we made a commitment to change that and put together the Valley Fever Symposium in Kern County. The event served as an important opportunity to educate the heads of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as well as other leaders in the medical community on this disease.
"Since then, I can confidently say that we have made positive strides in the endeavor to better understand and treat Valley Fever. But we have more work to do.
"As I detailed earlier, after the Symposium we successfully had the FDA include Valley Fever as a “qualifying pathogen” which gives priority review to Valley Fever treatment and vaccine drug applications. And because of that listing, the passage of 21st Century Cures out of the House has specific impact in the fight against Valley Fever. Within that bill we were able to direct the NIH to use a research strategic plan that identifies how the innovation fund will address areas of unmet need for infectious diseases, such as Valley Fever. "I continue to make it a priority that Congress demonstrates strong Congressional support for NIH and CDC efforts to develop a Valley Fever RCT. In June it was announced that $5 million was awarded to Duke University's Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit to achieve this step. Duke has also selected community experts on Valley Fever to assist with this trial.
"The primary goal of the trial research will be to assess the safety and effectiveness of fluconazole (an anti-fungal medicine that is the primary treatment candidate) as treatment for people in affected regions who develop pneumonia (30 percent of pneumonia cases are the affected region are caused by Valley Fever). The next goal that NIH and CDC hope to get out of the trial is increased public awareness. By working in the places where the disease primarily occurs, the medical community will learn more about the disease and apply that knowledge in their practice – improving the recognition and management of early onset Valley Fever and enhancing community awareness. Further, this trial will help better recognize the early stages of the disease and generate new questions.
"The research that will be produced over the next year will be instrumental in raising critical awareness within the medical community and the general public by utilizing that new knowledge in their everyday practices.
"By continuing these collaborative meetings, we are ensuring that the valley will be able to tackle Valley Fever as one community.

Thursday, August 27, 2015

* ... SONYA: Bakersfield College President Sonya Christian may be locked in a dispute over extending her contract, but you wouldn't know that when she appeared Thursday at the downtown

Rotary Club. Christian received a standing ovation when she was introduced as the speaker, and her appearance drew an overflow crowd at the Bakersfield Museum of Art. Her popularity among BC faculty and students and in the business community is impressive, and no doubt this does not go unnoticed by the Kern Community College District's board of trustees and Chancellor Sandra Serrano. Among the non club members who showed up for lunch were former Congressman (and former Bakersfield College professor) Bill Thomas (a big Christian supporter), Supervisor Leticia Perez and Michael Turnipseed, head of the watchdog group Kern Tax.

* ... PYRENEES: One of our community's amazing success stories is happening over at The Pyrenees Cafe and Saloon, where co-owners Rod and Julie Crawford took a dated brand, gave it a smart makeover that retained the building's historic character, and created one of the hottest Basque restaurant venues in town. Pyrenees was one of the eateries featured on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and Rod told me his appearance on the Food Network program is still driving business. "I had people in from Long Beach who had seen it on the show and were checking it out," he told me the other day. Business, meanwhile, is booming and the Crawfords have plans for even more improvements.

* ... SPOTTED: I ran into the actor Patrick Duffy at The Padre Hotel the other day. He is in town working on a movie that will also star actress Ann Archer. Duffy is best known for his role as Bobby Ewing in the 1980s CBS soap opera hit "Dallas." When I spotted him, he was sitting in the Padre bar calmly working on a newspaper puzzle.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "To whoever finds the $20 I dropped: spend it on alcohol. It’s what I would have wanted."

* ... IMMIGRATION: With all the talk about immigration reform, reader Sam Rodriquez offered these thoughts: "My wife and I were traveling to Arroyo Grande this last Friday. I observed on Highway 166 close to Cuyama all of the Mexican field workers either hunched over or on their hands and knees working their tails to provide us with whatever they were picking. Then from Arroyo Grande we took Highway 1 to Pismo Beach and there again there they were Mexicans working their behinds off. I realize that we need to something about illegal immigration but when you hear the likes of Donald Trump and all of the closet racists coming out of the wood work it makes me very sad. My parents (legal Americans of Mexican decent) came out of the fields.
You can go into any ghetto in Bakersfield and its surrounding communities any day of the week or any time of day and all ethnicities are represented... What is the answer I don’t know? But when you see a family of Mexicans at Wal-Mart, Sears, or the grocery store on any given Sunday be humble and maybe even say thank you."

* ... HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Are you ready for some high school football? If so, did you know that The Bakersfield Californian will livestream high school football games for a third consecutive year? And this year it is partnering with ESPN Bakersfield 1230 AM to bring a game of the week to digital and radio audiences. The BVarsity Live Game Night and Game of the Week debuts Friday at 7 p.m. on bakersfield.com and on ESPN Bakersfield 1230 AM. Longtime local sports personality Vance Palm will host a live pregame show from The Bakersfield Californian's studios and Zach Ewing, sports editor of The Californian, and Justin Roberts will call the action from a game each week. Palm will also provide updates throughout the night from many BVarsity correspondents covering games around Kern County.

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

* ... 24Th STREET: City Councilman Terry Maxwell has taken a lot of heat for opposing the widening of 24th Street, and just last week he took a tongue lashing from former Congressman Bill Thomas who secured the funding for the project. And now former city Councilman Mark Salvaggio

has weighed in, sending Maxwell an email that triggered a lively online debate between the two. Salvaggio argued that the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is being used (or abused) by a vocal minority to hold up the project. Salvaggio recalled at least two other times when CEQA was used to delay projects and told Maxwell: "But the thing you don't get is the 24th Street Widening Project is good for Bakersfield. It is a much-needed road improvement project. Why is this so? In short, 24th Street is well over its design capacity. It carries more traffic than all but one other arterial segment in the city with four lanes for traffic. The other 17 top arterials carry less traffic with six (6) lanes. 24th Street is also unsafe due, in part, to its traffic volumes, lacks controls over left turns and driveways which go directly into the travel lanes. Do you ever drive 24th Street? Or do you walk or ride your bike? It takes some navigation. You favor the Hageman flyover. So does everyone else. This road project is needed to provide an alternate and direct route from the Northwest into Downtown (our urban core) Bakersfield. Both of these important projects complement our efforts to improve circulation in metropolitan Bakersfield. The prevailing view is both of these road projects are needed." Maxwell, for his part, is holding firm to his opposition, seeing the project as a waste of taxpayer's money when there are cheaper alternatives.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Statistics show the number one cause of failed relationships is opening your mouth and letting words come out."

* ... BIRTHDAY: Karene Williams wrote to tell me that Hazel Ream celebrated her 100th birthday Sunday. A huge gathering helped celebrate the day at the local Moose Lodge in Lake Isabella.

* ... RACQUET CLUB: I have been hearing some rave reviews for the new Match Point Grill in the Bakersfield Racquet Club coffee shop on Pine Street between Truxtun and 18th Street. This space has been occupied by a number of restaurants over the years, most recently Covenant Coffee. Operated by Catering Affairs, Match Point is open for breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Those living and working downtown, as well as club members, are thrilled to have another eatery option. Match Point is open to the public.

* ... SUSHI: Speaking of food, the new Japanese restaurant Jin Sushi is also getting some good reviewers from downtown diners. Located next to the Metro Galleries at the corner of Eye and 19th streets, Jin Sushi has only been open a few days but has gained a small but loyal following. Let's hope the place can maintain its service and quality of food.

* ... APW: The Association of Petroleum Wives is holding a "Welcome Back" party this Saturday at the Metro Galleries on 19th Street. Ladies whose husbands are employed (or retired from) the petroleum industry are invited to attend to join or renew your membership. The event kicks off at 6:30 p.m. with live music, food catered by Chef's Choice Noodle Bar. Call Lynn at (661) 301-0907 to make reservations.

* ... MEA CULPA: And finally, my sincere apologies to Kim McAbee Carter, whose last name I butchered in a recent column. Kim is an accomplished country music singer who, along with husband Kyle Carter, are building the Bakersfield Music Hall of Fame.

Sunday, August 23, 2015

* ... OIL: The price of oil has dropped by almost 60 percent since its peak, but U.S. and global producers are maintaining production. In an analysis of the global oil glut, the Wall Street Journal noted that the world's biggest suppliers have yet to curtail production, almost guaranteeing the price

will remain in the $40 per barrel range and possibly sink below that. Saudi Arabia, for one, is maintaining its production as a hedge against new Iraqi and Iranian oil expected to hit the market. The Journal called the result a type of "energy industry version of trench warfare, with producers all trying to gain an inch of market share no matter the cost. And it is producing winner and losers around the world, luring American drivers into gas guzzling pickup rucks while sending the Venezuelan economy into chaos."

* ... CRIME: If you have a "lock" mechanism on your garage door, make sure to use it. Police say thieves are having a field day around town by making their way into garages by forcing the overhead doors open by hand.

* ... ZIGGY: Hats off to the folks over at Cal State Bakersfield who made the right call in promoting Kenneth Siegfried as the new athletic director. Known as "Ziggy," the personal and quick witted Siegfried has the energy, experience and youth and he has bonded with this imperfect community we all call home.

* ... 24th STREET CAFE: I rewarded myself after a Sunday morning 10-mile hike with a trip to the 24th Street Cafe, one of our town's iconic homestyle restaurants that is always busy and never seems to disappoint. My recommendation: eggs benedict accompanied by biscuits and gravy and a cold Bloody Mary.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Knowledge is like underwear. It is useful to have it, but not necessary to show it off."

* ... HALL OF FAME: Work continues on converting the Bakersfield Sound Studio into the Bakersfield Music Hall of Fame, and this weekend a huge new sign went up at the front entrance. Funded by Kyle Carter and his wife Kim McAbee, herself an accomplished musician, the Hall of Fame will recognize Bakersfield's rich musical heritage. The building is located the corner of Q and 23rd streets.

* ... CALTRANS: Someone at Caltrans wasn't paying attention when they created, and installed, a sign on Highway 46 near Paso Robles that reads: "Groved Pavement." Thanks to Margaret Scrivano Patteson for passing that along.